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Politifact Wisconsin analyzes Matt Flynn's claims about Gov. Walker

Posted at 6:33 PM, Nov 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-11-17 19:36:34-05

What's in your paycheck? Gov. Scott Walker is coming under scrutiny by one Democratic challenger on the state's wages.

PolitiFact Wisconsin checks it out.

Longtime Democrat and Milwaukee lawyer Matt Flynn is on the growing list of candidates lining up to take on Governor Walker next year.

Flynn suggests Walker is not doing a good job helping Wisconsin workers.

" Flynn says under Governor Walker, even accounting for inflation, the average wage in Wisconsin is lower now than it was under Jim Doyle," said Tom Kertscher with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

PolitiFact Wisconsin says there are two ways to look at the wage numbers.

There's the average wage vs median wage.

The average weekly wage in Wisconsin was $885 in 2016 when adjusted for inflation.

That is higher than the $846 weekly wage in 2010 under Gov. Doyle.

"If there are a lot of people in the high end of the wage scale it raises up the average even if a typical wage earner is not doing any better," said Kertscher.

That's why economists tell PolitiFact Wisconsin the median wage is more accurate.

Under that scenario, the hourly wage dropped from $18.10 an hour to $17.96 last year.

"Using the median, wages are in fact lower under Governor Walker than they were for Governor Doyle," said Kertscher.

The Truth O Meter ranges from Pants on Fire to True

PolitiFact Wisconsin rated this claim Half True - meaning it's partially accurate but leaves out important details.